Making Peering Easy: Announcing the Integration of PeeringDB and Kentik
Summary
Peering evaluations are now so much easier. PeeringDB, the database of networks and the go-to location for interconnection data, is now integrated into Kentik and available to all Kentik customers at no additional cost.
At Kentik, our mission is to make life awesome for people building and running the connected world. Today we are thrilled to announce a new milestone: Kentik is now the first network observability platform to seamlessly integrate the PeeringDB dataset, elevating our position as the leading choice for network operators seeking unparalleled insights and efficiency.
PeeringDB integration boosts Kentik user experience
Kentik customers can now streamline their peering partner evaluation thanks to PeeringDB data integrated directly into the Kentik Network Observability Platform. This integration allows Kentik users to configure mappings between their Kentik sites and PeeringDB facilities, and their IX-classified interfaces and PeeringDB exchanges. With these mappings, non-PeeringDB-registered networks can now evaluate their common footprint with any PeeringDB-registered network.
In response to demand, we’re taking this strategic step forward for several compelling reasons:
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Improving the useability of PeeringDB data: Previously, users relied on makeshift solutions and scripts to access the dataset, lacking a unified approach to streamline the peering decision process. Kentik’s integration now effectively addresses these issues by improving accessibility and adding mapping.
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Enhancing footprint display and computation: While PeeringDB effectively showcases a member network’s footprint, it doesn’t compute the common footprint between two networks or map location data—areas where Kentik’s integration excels.
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Providing traffic flow insights: PeeringDB lacks information on customers’ traffic flows to and from ASNs of interest, a gap filled by Kentik’s integration.
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Streamlining market intelligence: Kentik Market Intelligence (KMI) users can now effortlessly navigate between market intelligence scoring/ranking data and footprint evaluation, thanks to the seamless workflow enabled by this integration.
“The integration of PeeringDB into the Kentik service is great news! The combination of Kentik Market Intelligence and PeeringDB will enable more efficient evaluations of IP transit and peering arrangements in markets that interest us. Also, having a map view of common data centers with our customers or prospects will significantly assist our sales teams in evaluating opportunities and threats in their markets.”
– Jamy Rousseau, Strategic Marketing Manager
What is PeeringDB?
PeeringDB is a freely available online database that provides information on networks, internet exchange points (IXPs), and other related organizations. It allows network operators to maintain and share detailed information about their network infrastructure, peering policies, and contact details with other network operators.
PeeringDB is a non-profit, community-driven organization that maintains a peering and infrastructure directory. They have grown to be one of the internet’s critical infrastructure datasets, used in strategic peering decision-making across networks in the interconnection ecosystem.
How PeeringDB works in Kentik
To achieve seamless integration with peering-related workflows throughout the Kentik portal, we’ve implemented the PeeringDB integration as a new tab within the dynamically generated ASN Quick-View screens, available for any ASN. This newly added tab offers contextualized IN and OUT traffic levels, ratios, and traffic mix data necessary for evaluation against any network’s policy. Moreover, policy data for the displayed network is also available on this screen, along with geo-filter-friendly map and tabular data for assessing common footprint.
The screenshot above demonstrates the presentation of PeeringDB data within the Kentik platform. The “Traffic Profile” data displays the inbound and outbound traffic from the target ASN — in this instance, Kentik traffic in and out of Microsoft’s AS8075. Below the traffic profile, you’ll find the PeeringDB data for that ASN. On the right side, the peering and exchange facilities used by this ASN are shown, with common facilities (Microsoft and Kentik) highlighted in blue. By selecting a common facility, in this case, Equinix Ashburn, you can access a comprehensive list of other networks and exchanges at this facility, along with their peering policy.
This is just the first stage in Kentik’s utilization of PeeringDB data. We have an exciting roadmap for the coming quarters to further leverage this data and make peering optimization simpler and more intuitive. This value-added service will be available to all Kentik customers at no additional charge.
Integrating PeeringDB data into Kentik’s platform provides crucial context for network planners and streamlines peering operations, making them more efficient and actionable. Kentik’s platform helps network operators improve their operational efficiency by offering a single, comprehensive view for making data-driven, analytical peering decisions. We’d love to give you a demonstration! Get in touch.
